Spider-Man: Brand New Day: reviews

What the critics say average 7.1 from 56 outlets

• 10 San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen Johnson If “No Way Home” had the gee-whiz thrills of an original “Star Wars,” then “Brand New Day” has the mature melancholy of “The Empire Strikes Back,” a movie that it references. Read
• 10 AccionCineMiguel Juan Payán A lesson for Marvel Studios in how to build a shared universe of characters. Read
• 9.2 PolygonJake Kleinman From the action to the drama to the superhero cameos, this is a more mature Spider-Man with smarter storytelling and a more satisfying payoff. Read
• 9.1 The PlaylistRodrigo Perez Dark, grounded, vulnerable, and unexpectedly moving, it finds the heart and soul of Peter Parker and understands that his humanity—his compassion, decency, empathy, and instinct to reach toward others—is as essential to his heroism as anything the mask or his powers can give him. Read
• 9.0 SensaCineTomás Andrés Guerrero This is an extraordinary, much-needed rebirth that sidesteps genre fatigue and more than gives the wall-crawler back his true human, neighbourly essence. Read
• 8.8 New York PostJohnny Oleksinski There’s a useful lesson for superhero films in that. More often than not, there’s much greater power in protecting your hometown than in saving the universe. Read
• 8.8 The Seattle TimesDominic Baez Once the movie finally gets moving, it’s a gloriously thrilling time. Read
• 8.7 HobbyConsolasJavier Cazallas A very complete story that lets the MCU's Spider-Man evolve through an emotional, action-packed film. And most importantly, one that knows how to use humour.
• 8.5 The WrapWilliam Bibbiani We don’t get many great MCU movies anymore. That this is one of the highlights of the whole franchise feels amazing. And spectacular. And sensational. Read
• 8.5 The Daily BeastNick Schager With the possible exception of Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 2, it’s the wall-crawler’s best film to date. Read
• 8.3 ConsequenceLiz Shannon Miller A remarkably coherent, often joyful film, dedicated to giving the character some growth and grace. Read
• 8.3 The A.V. ClubJesse Hassenger Even when Brand New Day seems to be kicking some of its material further down the road, though, it’s a road that actually looks worth traveling. In spite of its overstuffed plot, this is the first MCU movie in ages that actively invites a direct follow-up, rather than a grudging acceptance that we’ll see the characters again in some team-up or another, while nonetheless ending on a satisfying note. Read
• 8.0 ColliderCharlie Ridgely There's a tightrope walk here that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers deftly pull off in their script, and Cretton translates flawlessly into a motion picture. Do I wish there was maybe a little less going on? Sure. Spider-Man doesn't need this much happening around him to make a great movie (as we've seen for more than two decades). But if the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues marching forward, this should be the blueprint for how to set up a future without sacrificing your present. Read
• 8.0 The IndependentClarisse Loughrey Brand New Day offers a maturation not only of its hero, but of the franchise’s entire vision, too. Read
• 8.0 The Hollywood ReporterDavid Rooney The dynamic of these three together — and of Holland, Zendaya and Batalon in the roles — has been lovingly nurtured over four films and pays off here with genuinely affecting moments that will have some fans getting misty-eyed. Read
• 8.0 Total FilmJordan Farley Taking Spidey back to web-slinging basics, Tom Holland’s fourth solo outing as Spider-Man is a blast, with personal stakes to match its evolved spectacle. It's the Multiverse Saga's best movie… at least until Doomsday. Read
• 8.0 EmpireJohn Nugent A more mature, emotional and distinctly ground-level Spider-Man, Brand New Day doesn’t escape some of the usual MCU pitfalls but finds its heart in an earnest performance from Tom Holland. Read
• 8.0 Screen DailyTim Grierson By Marvel’s standards, Brand New Day’s stakes might be relatively minor, but Cretton lets us understand that, for Peter, love and friendship are as epic as the fate of any planet. Read
• 8.0 The TelegraphRobbie Collin Proper Spider-Man films – the ones that embrace the character’s particular qualities and foibles – should be proper New York movies too. Brand New Day, basking in the sun as it rises over the Manhattan skyline, is both. Read
• 8.0 NMEVictoria Luxford Maturity, action and great storytelling combine to make a film that’s easily the best Tom Holland Spider-Man outing – and the best MCU movie of the decade. Read
• 8.0 FotogramasRoger Salvans 'Brand New Day' successfully meets the need to reset Spider-Man without giving up the weight of everything he has lived through, and opens the MCU up to new (or recovered, and much needed) worlds. Read
• 8.0 CinemaníaJanire Zurbano He's the unwitting lighthouse of a studio adrift and drowning in the multiverse, the trusty friendly neighbour who still feels like coming home. Read
• 8.0 Libertad DigitalAndrés Arconada The film has a considerably darker, more mature tone than its predecessors, along with a real emotional charge that draws the viewer into the hero's new troubles. Read
• 8.0 Diario ASRoberto Hernández After years of trying to be bigger, more complex and more interconnected, Marvel remembers something fundamental: it doesn't need more universes, it needs better stories. Read
• 8.0 NoticineSantiago Echeverría Tom Holland, always a physically prodigious performer, gives his best turn in the role here. Read
• 7.5 USA TodayBrian Truitt While Brand New Day might not be the most rambunctious or exciting of Holland’s Spider-flicks, it aims to be a little deeper than the average MCU installment while trapping you in its gratifying web. Read
• 7.5 The Washington PostGene Park Brand New Day is a messy but largely successful attempt at remembering what makes Spider-Man special: that his greatest battle isn’t about villains, but the balance between his humanity and his job as a superhuman. Isolation and punishment don’t need to come with that responsibility. Read
• 7.5 Chicago TribuneKatie Walsh Cretton ensures that distinctive style and emotional stakes take precedence over necessary MCU groundwork. When Peter learns that he has the whole city behind him, even as an anonymous crime fighter, it’s a beautiful moment. He might be walking his own path, but he’s not walking it alone. Read
• 7.5 AceprensaJaume Figa Vaello Less multiverse and more Peter Parker: that's where a very entertaining new Spider-Man really gets it right. Read
• 7.0 IGNTom Jorgensen Overall, it’s a refreshingly small-scale ride that gives Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, and the rest of the cast (a wasted Tramell Tillman aside) at least a few moments each to shine. Read
• 7.0 SlashfilmJeremy Mathai Sure, the screenplay may try a little too hard at times to celebrate Peter as the most gifted and special individual to ever live. But at least it makes him earn such a victory lap, genuinely putting him through the wringer in a story where might never makes right. Only empathy, sacrifice, and true heroism save the day. Read
• 7.0 Los Angeles TimesAmy Nicholson Cretton must shoulder an overburdened franchise. His film is likable as heck but never quite achieves liftoff. Read
• 7.0 The ObserverWendy Ide This feature is not without laughs, but it is more pensive in tone than its predecessors. There are points at which its drift towards soulfulness comes at the expense of entertainment value. Read
• 7.0 EspinofMikel Zorrilla You're left feeling it could have been a truly essential film for lovers of pure entertainment, and that this is what stops it. Read
• 6.3 Roger EbertBrian Tallerico It’s the young cast (Holland, Zendaya, Sink, Batalon) and how Cretton works with them that really hold “Brand New Day” together, and make it feel different from a typical MCU flick. Read
• 6.3 Slant MagazineJake Cole For the first time in his current screen iteration, Spider-Man seems like what he is in the comics: the beating heart of Marvel and its most compelling figure. Read
• 6.3 The Boston GlobeOdie Henderson Far too much time is spent in “SM: BND” on introducing characters or fan service situations that will be continued in future installments. The human drama between MJ, Ned, and Peter gets lost, which is a shame because the actors inject humor and pathos into their roles. Read
• 6.3 Associated PressJocelyn Noveck After a quarter-century worth of movies, “Spider-Man” still has surprises up its sleeve. Read
• 6.0 VarietyOwen Gleiberman “Brand New Day” is watchable without ever being transporting. Read
• 6.0 The GuardianPeter Bradshaw It’s an entertaining spectacle, but really without the novelty of movie-iterations like the more experimental Spider-Verse animations. A more radical reboot is needed. Read
• 6.0 The TimesKevin Maher Despite the film’s undeniable emotional power, there is evident frustration about where this drama might have gone if freed from the limitations of overfamiliar box-ticking biff-bammery. Read
• 6.0 Time OutPhil de Semlyen The fact that Peter is living in a different emotional multiverse from MJ is the movie’s strongest idea and frankly, more should have been made of it. Zendaya is fabulous, an energy force in her scenes with Holland, and Batalon is a blast as the ex-bestie who channels his Spider-Man obsession into an app that tracks his sightings. The trio’s scenes together are a delight. If only there were more of them. Read
• 6.0 The Irish TimesDonald Clarke There are certainly good times to be had in Brand New Day. Jon Bernthal offers gruff entertainment as his version of Bronsonian vigilante The Punisher. Holland’s sweet charm generates real poignancy as Peter negotiates a world that knows him only in his super-powered incarnation. Read
• 6.0 New York TimesAlissa Wilkinson Nothing can erase the enjoyment of witnessing Holland’s performance, which remains winsome and wonderfully kinetic even if you know that’s got to be a computer-generated Spidey a lot of the time. As he’s grown up onscreen, his audience has grown up with him. Read
• 6.0 La RazónSergi Sánchez It's Spider-Man's sentimental value, and the honest simplicity Tom Holland brings to him, that runs tenderly through the heart of a film that gives its best in its intimate moments. Read
• 6.0 El PeriódicoNando Salvà 'Brand New Day' doesn't entirely avoid that bad habit, but that doesn't stop the character finally getting the chance to show his humanity as never before. Read
• 5.9 The Globe and MailBarry Hertz As a character, Spider-Man is above all vigilant. But the crushing length of his adventure this time around makes it a challenge to stay even passively alert. Read
• 5.0 Rolling StoneDavid Fear The movie keeps getting tangled in a complicated web of its own making, one that feels all too familiar after several decades of superhero cinema sucking up the cultural oxygen. Calling this Brand New Day feels like a cosmic joke. It’s the same old MCU B.S., coasting by on the considerable charm of its two resident stars and a legacy of good will. There’s nothing new here whatsoever. Read
• 5.0 TimeStephanie Zacharek Brand New Day, at the very least, shows some awareness that actors, and not excessive, soul-killing special effects, are what will keep drawing us to the movies. Read
• 5.0 Little White LiesLaura Venning As much as Spider-Man: No Way Home felt like slavish fan service, it did at least feel like it was telling its own story. Brand New Day might be hitting a reset button to a certain extent with a scrappy anonymous hero determined to win MJ’s heart, but so much late stage focus on its villain makes it more of a branding exercise for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday then anything else. Read
• 5.0 El Séptimo ArteWanchope 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' is more a transitional MCU instalment than a new chapter for a Spider-Man they don't dare leave on his own. Read
• 5.0 Otros CinesDiego Batlle It meets its essential goals, but it never becomes a particularly deep or moving film. A new day that looks a lot like any other. Read
• 4.2 IndiewireDavid Ehrlich Spider-Man can’t do it all by himself. At this rate, someone will need to come along and save him, too. Read
• 4.0 The Wall Street JournalKyle Smith The banality-clogged script plays like teen TV melodrama minus the teens. It wallows in angst and stress but has no psychological depth, sticking to bromides like “You’re special” and “Be yourself.” Being somber is a lot easier than being serious. Read
• 4.0 The AtlanticDavid Sims The idea that Spider-Man is becoming a little too much of an arachnid at the cost of his own humanity could be a fun one, with a nice dollop of body horror. Instead, it mostly involves Peter gloomily walking the streets, gazing at MJ from afar, and then getting sucked into various MCU quests that are hard to feel too invested in. Read
• 4.0 VultureAlison Willmore At this point in our collective superhero experience, it’s strange to see such a major installment surrender so much of its run time to scaffolding for things to come. But watching Brand New Day feels like watching the work of a group of people who’ve forgotten what made these films so successful in the first place. Read